Dragon Age 2 Demo Comes Early for GameStop Employees - UPDATED (Again)

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
45,698
1
0
Dragon Age 2 Demo Comes Early for GameStop Employees - UPDATED (Again)


A Dragon Age 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-2-Xbox-360/dp/B0047TG2R0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296671157&sr=8-1] demo is coming on February 23 but if you happen to work at GameStop you can have it right now.

Good news for everyone feeling doubts about Dragon Age 2: you'll be able to try before you buy thanks to the demo which will be out a couple of weeks before the game is released. Even better news for those of you who work at GameStop [http://www.gamestop.com]: you can get it now.

"In appreciation of your support of the Dragon Age franchise, BioWare would like you to have early access to the Dragon Age 2 PC demo," the studio said in a message to GameStop employees [http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/gamestopdemo] on the Dragon Age website. "This exclusive hands on access will allow you to experience one of the year's most anticipated titles before anyone else."

Giving exclusive early access to GameStop flunkies may seem a little unusual or even unfair but in reality, it makes a lot of sense. They're the front-line guys, so giving them a chance to try it out well in advance of the game's release will, in theory at least, make it easier for them to recommend it for preorder and purchase. It's as much a training tool as it is a game, albeit it one that sucks a lot less than most of the indoctrinary nonsense retail employees have to put up with.

A special code is necessary to download the early demo and in case anyone gets the wrong idea, the GameStop demo page also includes threats of hellfire and damnation for anyone who dares distribute it to non-employees prior to February 23, which is when the doors will open to the rest of the world. Consider yourself warned!

Dragon Age 2 hits shelves on March 8 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

via: Blue's [http://www.bluesnews.com/s/118255/dragon-age-ii-demo-this-month]

UPDATE: Despite the fact that the GameStop link is right there [http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/gamestopdemo], BioWare is maintaining for the moment at least that the demo is not officially confirmed and that any talk about it is thus purely speculation.

"The demo is not 'confirmed.' We have made no official announcement. This is speculation, and no matter what it's based on it shouldn't be so misleading," Dragon Age Lead Writer David Gaider wrote on the BioWare forums [http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/5913715/1#5913831]. "Regardless of what you think we should or shouldn't be doing (it's not my place to give info) please keep the fact that this is still all speculation in mind and that you're self-referencing here."

UPDATE PART DEUX: Okay, now it's official. "On February 22, 2011, BioWare will release a demo for Dragon Age 2, allowing gamers on all platforms to experience a portion of this epic action RPG," the company revealed on the Dragon Age website [http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/demo]. The demo will take players through the game's prologue with one of three character classes, where they'll learn more about Hawke and begin to hone his heroic abilities, and then to Kirkwall to meet Isabela, a deadly smuggler who also happens to be a romantic interest.

But that's not all! Completing the demo will unlock Hayder's Razor, an ancient dwarven blade that boosts health, mana and combat abilities in the full release of Dragon Age 2.

So there you have it, a real-and-for-true across all three platforms and an unlock to boot! What more could anyone ask for?


Permalink
 

Ren3004

In an unsuspicious cabin
Jul 22, 2009
28,357
0
0
In other news, applications for jobs at GameStop have increased by 300% in the past 10 minutes.
 
Apr 28, 2008
14,634
0
0
Well, at least there's a demo. That makes me really happy. And on the PC too. Thats like, double the awesome.

Will consoles get this as well though?
 

LWS666

[Speech: 100]
Nov 5, 2009
1,030
0
0
yay, it's on the PC! who's idea was it to put the crysis 2 demo on 360 only anyway? it's like putting the next mario game on only the PS3.
 

nin_ninja

New member
Nov 12, 2009
912
0
0
Soooooo you have a demo ready now, but aren't going to release it two weeks prior to the release. Why? Release the demo next week so that the rest of us can play it, not at the end of the month.

Also, damn it that I'm too young to apply to Gamestop/EB Games.
 

Armored Prayer

New member
Mar 10, 2009
5,319
0
0
Neat overall, but I'm not really interested in the game. Good news for Gamestop employees I guess.
 

Woodsey

New member
Aug 9, 2009
14,553
0
0
LWS666 said:
yay, it's on the PC! who's idea was it to put the crysis 2 demo on 360 only anyway? it's like putting the next mario game on only the PS3.
A beta/demo was announced for the PC a few days ago.
 

Fr]anc[is

New member
May 13, 2010
1,893
0
0
I see this as more of a reward for putting up with working at Gamestop. "We know you work for a soul sucking monster, here hope this makes you feel better"
 

Baresark

New member
Dec 19, 2010
3,908
0
0
This is amazing, a company smart enough to put a demo out BEFORE the game is released! Haha, game development is rocket science. I hate to do this, but I need to pat EA on the back, two games being released, both with demos before it came out. I am speaking of Dead Space 2 in addition to this.
 

Assassin Xaero

New member
Jul 23, 2008
5,392
0
0
Woodsey said:
LWS666 said:
yay, it's on the PC! who's idea was it to put the crysis 2 demo on 360 only anyway? it's like putting the next mario game on only the PS3.
A beta/demo was announced for the PC a few days ago.
Yeah, but still giving it to the 360 first really isn't helping their "we will still support the PC without porting stuff" claims.
 

Suskie

New member
Nov 9, 2009
210
0
0
FUCK YEAH I WORK AT GAMESTOP!

And I don't appreciate being called a "flunky," Andy!
 

Woodsey

New member
Aug 9, 2009
14,553
0
0
Assassin Xaero said:
Woodsey said:
LWS666 said:
yay, it's on the PC! who's idea was it to put the crysis 2 demo on 360 only anyway? it's like putting the next mario game on only the PS3.
A beta/demo was announced for the PC a few days ago.
Yeah, but still giving it to the 360 first really isn't helping their "we will still support the PC without porting stuff" claims.
"Claims"? They're not porting anything.

Did no one watch those bloody videos where they showed how they were building the game on each platform?
 

Shoggoth2588

New member
Aug 31, 2009
10,250
0
0
Suskie said:
FUCK YEAH I WORK AT GAMESTOP!

And I don't appreciate being called a "flunky," Andy!
My thoughts exactly until I realized my PS would piss itself and die trying to run some of last gens games. I guess I have to wait until month's end for my demo. I also don't care much for the term 'flunky' when 'stooge' is so readily available. Or 'henchmen'.
 

Assassin Xaero

New member
Jul 23, 2008
5,392
0
0
Woodsey said:
Assassin Xaero said:
Woodsey said:
LWS666 said:
yay, it's on the PC! who's idea was it to put the crysis 2 demo on 360 only anyway? it's like putting the next mario game on only the PS3.
A beta/demo was announced for the PC a few days ago.
Yeah, but still giving it to the 360 first really isn't helping their "we will still support the PC without porting stuff" claims.
"Claims"? They're not porting anything.

Did no one watch those bloody videos where they showed how they were building the game on each platform?
Sure, for this one, I'm talking more about the future. Look at Call of Duty: first was on PC, then they moved multiplatform, by World at War, 360 was getting everything first, and... well... now... yeah... I'm just saying, I'm more worried about another developer stabbing the PC in the back and moving to 360...
 

Woodsey

New member
Aug 9, 2009
14,553
0
0
Assassin Xaero said:
Woodsey said:
Assassin Xaero said:
Woodsey said:
LWS666 said:
yay, it's on the PC! who's idea was it to put the crysis 2 demo on 360 only anyway? it's like putting the next mario game on only the PS3.
A beta/demo was announced for the PC a few days ago.
Yeah, but still giving it to the 360 first really isn't helping their "we will still support the PC without porting stuff" claims.
"Claims"? They're not porting anything.

Did no one watch those bloody videos where they showed how they were building the game on each platform?
Sure, for this one, I'm talking more about the future. Look at Call of Duty: first was on PC, then they moved multiplatform, by World at War, 360 was getting everything first, and... well... now... yeah... I'm just saying, I'm more worried about another developer stabbing the PC in the back and moving to 360...
That was a completely different publisher and developer.

(Also, I correct myself, since they are technically porting it but the console versions are the ports).